Cast
by ChicCritique
Summary: Stop. Silence. He ran again. The siren behind him followed. Then he stopped. The leaves crunched for a half second. Then a gasp, and more silence. Slowly, he turned around. Nothing. Suddenly, the crunching of the leaves came from all directions, and without warning, an arrow pierced through his head.
1. My House

_Author's note: This may be a bit OOC...but it's fine, right? I'm sorry if I get off-topic at times. And I'm sorry that this is so freaking long. Nobody's perfect, though, right? _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) or the characters. _

_Summary: Stop. Silence. He ran again. The siren behind him followed. Then he stopped. The leaves crunched for a half second. Then a gasp, and more silence. Slowly, he turned around. Nothing. Suddenly, the crunching of the leaves came from all directions, and without warning, an arrow pierced through his head._

* * *

**_PROLOGUE_**

** Three millennium earlier **

She ran after him. She couldn't stop. It was as if her body had been convinced to follow him, even though her brain screamed for her to stop. But she still followed. The boy looked behind him. She had already jumped into a tree. She couldn't let him see her. He couldn't know anything, or else everything would fall out of line, and their plan would fail.

Her objective:

_To capture the boy and bring him to the base, unconscious. _

Progress:

_None. _

This boy was special. He had unknown powers that he nor she knew about. The only one was..._no. _She didn't know. She couldn't know. Now that she had thought about it, the only way that girl could have known would be if she had contact with him. But that wasn't possible; it was proven long ago that any of the four could not have contact with this boy. If they did, they would be cursed. She had seen it before. It happened to _he must not be named._ As soon as they had arrived at the mystical oak, he was given a mysterious drink, in which he drank rather quickly, and he immediately burned up. Literally. Flames erupted from his heart, and within ten seconds he was nothing but a mere ash that instantly vanished by the flick of a wrist. After watching their companion's death, the four remaining did not utter his name ever again, and they swore to never have contact with the unnatural outside of orders.

The boy ran quicker, determined to escape the siren. He knew this one. He had seen her before. She had looks that could literally kill. At least her beauty was real. He thought this was the siren that was fused with a pixie. She could fly, and was really small. Since she wasn't a full siren, she wasn't completely all dark, but the majority of her was. She sang beautiful melodies, casting a wicked, attractive spell on her victims. Then, when they were lured close enough, they were gone with a swipe of her claws and the magic of her pixie spells. Because she was a fusion, there was often a glitch in her system where she would either go haywire and kill something, or she would morph into a small animal. Whatever the glitch, the outcome was never beneficial to any supernatural race.

He ran until his feet couldn't carry him any longer. The disadvantages of being an unnatural imp was his body was more like that of a human's. He leaned against a tree, huffing and letting out cold wisps of air. The tree was covered in sap and mud, with hundreds of beetles crawling along the branches and trunk, but the unnatural was oblivious of it. The siren stopped dead in her tracks. When the boy noticed this, he turned his head, but didn't see anything. He looked up. There wasn't anything there. He looked back at the siren. She was looking past him. He turned his head and jumped. An abnormal.

The abnormal was sneering at the boy, looking hungrily at his chest. The boy's eyes widened. His heart, behind all that skin, a bit of fat, and his rib cage, was unprotected. The boy cursed himself for not wearing proper gear. But he hadn't had time.

The abnormal lunged at him, fangs exposed and claws bared. The boy squeaked and hopped into a tree, barely avoiding the attack of the abnormal. But the abnormal had struck something else.

A shrill screech pierced through the air, so shrill that the boy's ears began to bleed and the abnormal fell to the ground. When the siren stopped, she bared her claws. She growled, stabbing the abnormal's skull and tearing out a piece of its brains. Then she ripped through its flesh, whistling a beautifully horrid tune the whole way.

The boy couldn't bear to look. The mere thought of it was disgusting. Blood. Guts. Skin. The boy looked over when the sounds of shredding ceased, only to see the siren stringing the entrails of the abnormal all over the trees. He dropped down and the siren turned. She look horrified. Her claws shrunk back so she looked humane, and she ran toward the boy. The unnatural was caught off guard, so of course he went slower this time as he struggled to avoid the siren.

_"Warten!"_

The boy was surprised. What language was that? He thought it was German. Wait, had she said? Ah, yes. But no. He didn't have time to think. He had to escape this crazed siren for his life.

He stopped to check if she followed. But as he stopped, the extra footsteps stopped. He looked behind him. No, she wasn't there. But she wouldn't fool him. He kept running. Stop. Silence. He ran again. The siren behind him followed. Then he stopped. The leaves crunched for a half second. Then a gasp, and more silence. Slowly, he turned around. Nothing. Suddenly, the crunching of the leaves came from all directions, and without warning, an arrow pierced through his head.

* * *

_"Ist er tot?" _asked the puck.

_"Nein," _replied the siren, shaking her head.

_"Ziehen Sie ihn heraus," _said the puck.

_"I non potest," _spoke the siren, _"Id est in morte et sagitta."_

The puck glared at siren, but sighed. _"Etiam."_

_"Sed," _said the siren, "we could just curse him for later in eternity. It's not he would remember, anyway. He can't live the same life nonstop like us. He has to die before he continues."

The puck glowered at this, "You're right. Do you think, though, that we could erase part of our memories every century so we can become reborn as if we were humans? Because, well, we are classified with fairies and pixies and will look old as we grow old if we use too much magic."

"Yes, very true," said the siren, "It's decided, then. But what's the curse?"

The puck grinned evilly, "To have every last trace of magic in him completely erased. Meaning he cannot heal himself from the deadly sickness he will be born with. Wait, let's give him defense mechanisms, but just to humour him so he knows he cannot do anything else. Ah. What a fine plan indeed. Don't you agree?"

The siren gave a dry laugh_,"Eximius."_

* * *

**-****1999. _Manchester, England._**

"DAMMIT!" cried the woman, tears falling from her eyes.

"Push, push!" cried the nurse, hope in her gaze. She had probably done this millions of times before, from the looks of it. Though she looked fairly young, her blonde hair was stringy and almost white, and there were always wrinkles on her forehead. She was a very kind woman. She always told jokes to her patients, but Carla wasn't feeling like it today. _Especially _not today. How could you tell jokes on a day like this? Luckily, Nurse May understood and didn't tell any of her corny baby jokes.

Carla still screeched. She wanted the baby to be born already. Suddenly, a thought popped up. Having this baby stuck and unable to come out was like trying to take a shit that just won't come out, but, you know, out of the other end. Carla laughed at her self subconsciously.

"Oh!" cried Nurse May, "I see a head! Push, Carla, push!"

"AHH!"

Carla literally screamed for the next three minutes. Finally, the baby was out. Its face was red and it was whining, its eyes closed and its little fists punching the air. Carla scrambled to get up, her eyes wide and admiring. Carla held out her hands for the baby. Nurse May kissed its head and handed it to Carla. Carla took one look at her beautiful baby and burst into tears. She wasn't screaming, but there were whimpers and tears. Carla rocked her baby back and forth, smiling at her and Grisha's beautiful creation. A wonderful little...

"Wait, is this a boy or a girl?" asked Carla.

Nurse May looked at Carla oddly, "I...don't know."

"So you didn't take pictures of the fetus and you didn't check the DNA or anything in my previous appointments?" asked Carla.

Nurse May just chuckled lightly, "I guess I didn't. I probably forgot. I mean..."

"You...you _what?"_

The nurse chuckled nervously, "Um...no need to get angry, I'll just...um...check the files again."

She left the room for a brief moment. The other nurses and doctors smiled softly at the woman, though she was kind of glaring at them as well. During the time May was gone, Kalura took a minute to observe her child. He was small; very, very small. He had a few tufts of beautiful brown hair here and there. Kalura couldn't wait to see his eyes. She hoped they wouldn't be the ugly dark blue her husband had, but definitely not her own horrible hazel. Her mother's eyes were hazel and her father's eyes were brown, so everyone thought that she would have big brown eyes or something, or at least grey, but no. They turned out to be this horrible hazel, with an odd shade of yellow. She absolutely hated her eyes. They looked like piss and duck shit shoved into an oval. That was horrible. Absolutely horrendous.

Her child's screaming had stopped, and they were now snoring softly. Kalura smiled again. She could never be angry with this beautiful little angel...

* * *

_Or so she thought. _

"Eren, get down here right now!" yelled Carla, practically fuming with anger. Her son taunted her as he sat up in a large tree next to their house. Carla wasn't even sure _how _he had gotten up there. There were no branches to grab onto at the bottom, and he certainly didn't use a ladder, because the tallest ladder they had was only seven feet tall, and this tree was at least thirty feet tall, meaning it was barely a fourth of the height of the tree.

"Eren Jaëger, if you don't get down here right now...!"

"Make me!" shouted Eren. Kalura shook her head and went inside, giving up. I mean, seriously, how could a nine-year-old possibly climb a huge tree, _and _be so ill-tempered and stubborn? Just thinking about it gave Kalura a headache. She went upstairs to the second story of her three-story (excluding the attic) house, and into the kitchen to make supper. Her husband sat close in the dining room, working intently on his patients' portfolios. Three weeks ago, a ten-year-old girl came in with a very high fever, and they found out four days ago that she had a minor flu. Grisha was a bit upset that they had come in for something so small, but the girl's father eventually calmed him down about it. Since then, they had actually become good friends, and Kalura insisted on inviting them over for dinner. After a bit of struggles with Grisha (i.e. slapping him silly and taking his phone away for two days), everyone was happy for their family to visit.

Everyone, that is, except for Eren.

"But Mum..." he had whined, dragging out Mum, "I don't _want _to hang out with two old people and a snobby rich girl. How fun does _that _sound?"

"Eren, they are coming over whether you like it or not. I don't want to know about how much you hate old people and rich people. I mean, really, we're as rich as them. Maybe a little more, even. And they aren't old. They're as old as us, and Mikasa isn't snobby at all. Yes, she may be quiet, she may be tutored and home schooled, and she may dress quite nice, but she isn't snobby. She is a polite, pretty little girl and you're going to talk to her, do you understand me?"

"Ugh..." Eren had groaned, stomping upstairs to his bedroom. Kalura sighed, turning to Grisha.

"He is ill-tempered, isn't he?" Kalura had sighed. Grisha nodded in response, looking quite nervous.

Which brings us a week later, back to the day of the Ackerman's first visit. After making supper, Kalura went out to call Eren inside. Whilst she opened the door, she was hit with a draft of abnormally cold wind. She shivered a bit.

"Eren!" called Kalura, "Get down from that tree! Our guests will be here very soon and I don't want you whistling sweet nothings whilst we enjoy a wonderful supper!"

"I don't care!" shouted Eren, "I hate them and I'm not hungry!"

Kalura shivered again, "Well, then, aren't you cold?"

"No! Now go away!" shouted Eren.

Kalura sighed, "Okay, fine. You win. I just want you to know that I'm really sad right now. I wish you would come play with me like we used to, Eren."

Eren's face turned red. When was the last time he had played with his mother? When he was five? Wait, no, when he was four. When he was five, he detached himself from his family and became independent.

"I'll come down in a minute," said Eren softly. Kalura smiled, nodding approvingly. As soon as his mother went inside, Eren wrapped his cloak around himself. He closed his eyes and put his hands together.

_"Hic sum, eao sum illic," _Eren chanted. Then, he found himself on the ground. He threw the cloak into a bush and walked into the house. He locked the door behind him and put his shoes against the wall. He ran downstairs to the basement. What his parents _did_ know was there was a dance studio, a bathroom, a discussion room, and a storage room. What his parents _didn't _know about was the secret room that could only be entered in a certain way. Eren hurriedly went over to the room and opened the door. He knew he didn't have a lot of time before his guests arrived, and they couldn't see this. So he had to hurry.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page break, mew! ○°•°○ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Ding-ding! Ding-ding!_

"I'll get it!" called Kalura, cheerfully. She untied her apron and put in a cabinet, quickly pulled her hair up into a neat bun and slipped on a skirt. Then she ran to the door, eager to speak more with her friends. She had barely opened it when the compliments rained down on her.

"What a nice house!"

"You clean very good!"

"You look very nice, Mrs. Jaëger!"

"It feels so lively in here!"

"What a wonderful day to join you on."

"You husband is wonderful."

"You are, too!"

"I'm looking forward to meeting you."

Kalura nodded about a hundred more times before, finally, she was able to greet them properly and allow them into her home. The whole time during the tour, she was given compliments and they tossed jokes around. Mikasa was obedient, staying silent and hidden in her mother's pea coat. When they arrived in the kitchen, Mrs. Ackerman asked what she was smelling, and Kalura allowed Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman to taste a piece of her quiche. There was, of course, a lot of other foods, but they did not want to spoil their dinner so early. When Kalura asked Mikasa if she wanted a piece, Mikasa shook her head and said she already ate at home, to which Mr. Ackerman scolded her for being impolite. Mikasa hung her head down for the rest of the tour. As they neared the ending of said tour, Mikasa's stomach growled. She wondered how long that had taken. Anyway, the last place in the house that they hadn't seen was the basement.

Yes, the basement.

They all went downstairs, ducking so they didn't hit their head on the chandelier. Mikasa and Kalura didn't have to duck, though. They were short enough.

"Over here is our dance studio," said Kalura, gesturing toward the room. They went inside and looked around.

"You know, Mikasa takes ballet," said Mrs. Ackerman, "Perhaps she could show you a few things?"

Kalura smiled warmly, nodding politely, "Sure."

Mikasa slumped over to the rail. She turned her back to the adults so she was facing the mirror. She rolled her eyes when the adults starting talking. _So why the hell would you put me on the spotlight if you're just going to fucking talk again? _

Mikasa noticed why her parents had insisted on her taking her ballet outfit. They had just blindly assumed the Jaëger family was rich enough to afford such things. Good thing they were right.

When the adults finally turned their attention to Mikasa, her mother nodded to her. Mikasa put one hand on the rail and lifted her leg up. It went right next to her head, without support from her other arm. Then she pointed her leg outward, making sure to point her toes. Then she turned one foot out facing the right and put it in front, and turned one foot so it faced the left and put it behind. She held her back straight and put her arms in a position so it looked as if she were putting a circle around her stomach. She did a half squat and went back up. Next, she stood on the very tips of her toes with her arms out, like she were going to fly. She spun around in a circle with her arms in the same position as her plié, facing inwards. Her leg flew out, so she could carry herself correctly. Then she slowed down and bowed, producing a half-smile. The adults applauded. Mikasa almost spit on the ground when her mother started with her stupid fake crying.

"Oh, that was just so...so beautiful. My daughter is truly gifted," Mrs. Ackerman said with her fake sniffles. Mr. Ackerman looked on the verge on fake tears as well.

Mikasa returned to her mother's jacket and Kalura continued the tour. More compliments, more comments, more thank yous, more nods. Mikasa pulled on the end of her mother's jacket. Mrs. Ackerman looked down with a beautiful smile.

"What is it, darling?"

"I have to go to the bathroom," Mikasa answered, her face turning a light shade of pink.

Mrs. Ackerman nodded, "Kalura, may my daughter use one of your restrooms?"

Kalura nodded with a polite smile, "Of course. She can use Eren's bathroom. Sweetie, it's on the second story. Do you remember where it is?"

Mikasa nodded, hurrying off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page break, nya~! ○ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eren placed it on the shelf, next to his completed potions. He needed more of it, anyway. He was running low. Eren looked at his clock and cursed under his breath. The Ackerman's had probably already gotten here. Now he had to stop before anyone fully noticed his absence. He clasped his hands together and closed his eyes.

_"Hic sum, eao sum illic," _Eren chanted. He teleported to his room. Good, no one was here, and/or snooping. He let out a sigh and scratched the back of his neck. Peace, for once. He went to his walk-in closet and climbed onto a box. He reached up and moved a few things out of the way before he found his yoga mat. Usually, he would lock himself in his room when Kalura or Armin pissed him off, pull out his yoga mat, and do some yoga. If he didn't feel like stretching, he would just meditate. Right now, he figured meditation could calm his nerves.

Eren sat down and crossed his legs. He put his hands on his knees with his fingers spread evenly apart. Then he practiced his 'om'. He did it quietly, though, so no one would hear him. After he finished, he closed his eyes and began his meditation session.

Mikasa finished her, well, business, and put down the toilet seat. She flushed it and went over to the sink. She had a hard time choosing which hand soap to use. Blueberry? Bubblegum? Cherry? Raspberry? Lemonade? Cupcake? Brownie? Vanilla? Chocolate? Strawberry? The list seemed to go on and on, forever and ever until finally, Mikasa settled on Chocolate Eclair. She didn't even know people made that kind of scented soap. She shook the thought off and washed her hands. Then, she wiped her hands off on a fluffy, green towel. The towel smelt good and felt good. It was probably brand-new. No old towel would be in such a good condition.

She opened the door and walked down the hall. Where was the door to that little boy's room again? Mikasa opened a door, but she found it was just a closet. Mikasa mentally face-palmed herself when she saw the door that was so clearly his. It even said: **EREN'S ROOM. Go away. He hates company. **Mikasa chuckled lightly at this. She hadn't even met him before. She saw a picture of him, once, but it was old. He had to be at least five. She figured that Eren didn't like photos. Yes, that was probably the reason. Mikasa opened Eren's door and saw him on the floor, legs crossed, hands on the knees, and eyes closed. Mikasa had seen this before. What was it called, again? Meditation? She had done that before. Her mother always said that meditation could be the key to success. Or, she did. That was until her mother got into the modeling business. She came home late, she always looked pretty, but she barely ever saw her mother. When she did, her mother had to leave right away. Mikasa hated that. Which is why her father became a lawyer and was never home. And on top of that, they made Mikasa have ballet, gymnastics, piano lessons, singing lessons and track. Who does track at nine years old?

...Exactly.

Mikasa waited, watching Eren. After ten minutes, he stood up and let out a breath. He rolled up his mat and went over to his closet. He hadn't noticed her yet. Eren came back to the door and looked up. He seemed startled.

"Who are you?" he asked. Mikasa felt slightly hurt that he didn't know.

"I'm Mikasa," she said quietly, "Just one of your father's patients. No one special."

"Oh," said Eren, staring into her eyes. They looked at each other, searching for a sign, excitement, happiness. But nothing was more awkward. After another awkward minute of starting, Mikasa became mesmerized by the big, gorgeous green eyes that stared so intently into her own. But then Eren broke the stare and looked away, a light shade of red rising to his cheeks.

"So...uh...where's your mom and dad?" he asked. Not that he really wanted to know.

"With your mom," Mikasa answered bluntly.

"Oh. Well...are you hungry, or something?" Eren asked.

Mikasa shrugged, "Maybe. I mean, I ate a bit before we left here, so I'm not entirely full or anything."

Eren nodded, "Well, if you want anything, I can get you something." Mikasa just stared back at him. Eren let out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, fine. Come with me."

The brunet grabbed the raven-haired girl by the wrist and pulled her to the kitchen. He looked around, thinking about what to give her. They had plenty of food; sometimes, Eren thought everything would go bad at one point, but everything was quickly inserted into a recipe and nothing expired. It was just that, at the moment, Eren didn't know what to give her. Eren didn't know how it happened, but at one point, his hand held Mikasa's. When he actually noticed it, he looked down. The raven-haired girl followed his gaze. She wanted so badly for him to look at her again, with those hypnotizing eyes. They were so big and beautiful. She'd never seen anything quite like it. Eren's face turned red and looked back at the pantries and cabinets and cupboards, trying to get the current situation off of his mind. She was a guest. They were going to be friends. _Friends. _

After eternity, Eren found something she might like. He looked at her, "Do you like pocky, Mikasa? I figured you might like it. It's my favourite snack."

Mikasa smiled. That was her favourite, too. "It's my favourite, as well."

Eren smiled and took the box of chocolate pocky with him. Mikasa followed Eren to the living room. They sat down on the couch and let go of each other's hands, "What do you want to do?"

Mikasa shrugged. She had never been to someone else's house before, "I don't know. Watch TV?"

Eren shrugged, "Okay. I don't really care what we watch. You can choose."

Of course, Mikasa turned to the corniest channel. Disney Channel. Eren laughed. Mikasa laughed, too. And so they sat, eating chocolate pocky and watching Austin and Ally, Jessie, and Dog With a Blog. Then the doorbell rang. Eren held up the remote and paused the episode.

"I'll get it!" called Grisha. He had joined Kalura and Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman after the tour was over. Sometimes Kalura teased him about being a hermit. Seriously. He was almost always alone.

Grisha ran to the door. He was greeted by big blue eyes. A car honked and Grisha looked up. Armin's aunt was in the front seat and she waved, "My sister wasn't there and neither was her husband. Armin said they're on vacation. Do you think you could take care of him for, like, four days?"

Grisha smiled, "Of course. Thanks, Alicia."

Alicia nodded, "Have a good day."

"You too." and she left. Grisha turned to Armin and gave him a hug. "How are you, sport? Had a good day?"

Armin nodded, "Yeah. I played badminton with Jean and Marco."

"Who won?"

"Me."

"Ah, that's my boy."

Grisha leaned down and kissed Armin atop the head, "Do you want to go play with Eren and Mikasa?"

Armin furrowed his eyebrows. _Mikasa? Wasn't that a Japanese name? And why did it sound feminine? _"Who's Mikasa?"

"Former patient of mine. We're good friends with her parents, so we thought we'd invite them over for supper."

Armin grinned, "'We' meaning Kalura, right?"

Grisha laughed, "Oh, you know me too well." Eren came running to the door, skidding to a halt and barely knocking Armin over.

"Hey," said Eren, giving Armin a hug, "How are you?"

Armin shrugged, "Good, I guess." Both boys looked at Grisha. Grisha smiled and left, knowing they were going to talk about what boys their age talk about.

"Not to be rude, but why are you here?" asked Eren.

"Mom and Dad are on vacation," answered Armin truthfully.

"Okay. Do you want to watch TV with us?" offered Eren.

"Sure," agreed Armin, "But first, who's Mikasa?"

"Come see."

The two children went to the living room and plopped down on the couch. Well, Armin didn't. He felt uncomfortable with Mikasa there. Armin sat down on the other side of Eren, eyeing Mikasa curiously. Eren resumed the episode of Dog With A Blog. Mikasa ate a pocky stick and when she went to go for another one, she saw Armin two spaces away from her. She smiled sweetly.

"Hi."

"Hi." and they both turned back to the TV screen. Eren chuckled at this awkwardness.

They just sat, looking like they were three best friends. Eating pocky and watching Disney Channel.

...Typical.

They had just finished another episode of Good Luck Charlie when Geek Charming came on. Eren and Armin stood up to leave. This movie was _the worst. _Watching it would destroy their dignity and manliness. Once, after watching ten minutes of it, Eren threw his shoe at the TV and cracked it. Kalura bought another one immediately. Eren couldn't watch TV for a week, but he didn't care. He could still cast his spells and create spellbound potions. He had used a potion on Kalura before. She didn't know about it. He'd slipped it into her drink. A delightful, yet dry vine. Its blue-ish colour mixed perfectly with his purple concoction, and it didn't taste of anything, so Kalura was oblivious to the fact that her own son had slipped something into her drink. Eren felt it was almost a crime, but anything to get her out of the house more.

Grisha was almost always gone. Everyday, he had to go somewhere to pick up this, somewhere to talk with whoever, somewhere to buy something new. Kalura, however, was a preschool teacher, and she wasn't paid much. But she adored children to no end, often speaking with parents about playtime with her son, even though he was always more than twice their age. So teaching preschool, they only had school for three hours, and they only went to school four days per week. Therefore, Kalura was almost always home. Because of said reason, Eren's mother and father didn't mind leaving him home alone. They trusted him, and plus, Eren could handle himself pretty well. So, the potion made Kalura go and find another job. Still, Eren never had enough time to mix potions or cast correct spells. Eren already knew about his powers. He was Bakeneko. But he couldn't let anyone know. His powers must be kept secret, Master had said. And he definitely could _not _show Armin. Armin was one of the cursed, an unnatural, and was born with a deadly sickness that wouldn't kill, but a deadly sickness that deteriorated Armin's human shell. Eren must protect Armin from magic and from knowing the truth, because if that shell were to break, all Hell would break loose. Armin had been deprived of his magic millennium ago. Eren knew that. Master had told him. So what would happen if Hell broke loose? No one knew. Not even Annie, who could see into the future. Perhaps it was because Hell would never break loose. But Eren knew better. Hell probably _would _break loose; it was the work of a wizard, a witch, or maybe even a pixie-whatever it was, they were protecting Armin. And that was why they couldn't see into the future.

The boys left Mikasa sitting there, watching Geek Charming by herself. Mikasa felt slightly annoyed. _Who was that little girl? Why was her hair so short? Why was she holding Eren's arm? I'm the guest, aren't I? I should be treated more politely than this. _Mikasa was even more annoyed. She was starting to sound like her own foolish mother. She shook the thought off, leaving the TV on and going to find Eren and that mysterious girl. Mikasa cursed under her breath. Blondes were always the cutest. Blondes were always taken swiftly.

"Um...pig," said Eren.

"Oink, snort, mud, pink, curly, farm, bacon...um...um...!" Armin couldn't think of another word.

"Wow...you took all of mine," Eren admitted, "Um...grunt? Yeah, grunt! And...um...lazy, uh...cow, horse, chicken, sweat...I'm out."

"How much was that?" asked Armin. Eren looked down at the list and counted.

"Thirteen."

"Unlucky number."

"Yeah, I know. Hey, you choose a word."

Armin looked up at the ceiling, as if expecting to find the answers there, "How about...cat?"

Eren nodded, "Okay. So...cat. Um...nap, mew, meow, nya, nyan, neko, whiskers, purr, paws, soft...catwalk?"

"No," Armin laughed, "Okay, my-"

"Domesticated feline, feline, mammal, balance, leopard, lion, tiger, kitty, Hello Kitty, dry, mice, rat, fish, alleyway, kitten, tail, curl, cute, sniff, quick, "always land on their feet", agile, fast, quick reflexes."

The two stared at Mikasa. she had identified at least twenty _valid _words, just on her own. Then Armin started clapping. Eren did the same. Together, Eren and Mikasa had successfully identified 30 valid entries to their Word Association.

"You are quite unique in this wedge of intelligence," smiled Armin, "You didn't get as much as I have, but you're really smart. And...do you want to be friends?"

Mikasa blinked. _Friend? _That was a very loose term. She had never had friends before. Well, maybe Eren was a friend. Or was he? She didn't know. What was the definition of 'friend'? Yes: ally: an ally, somebody who is not an enemy. Was Eren her enemy? She didn't know. Did he possess dark magic? She didn't know. But somewhere in her heart, she felt she could trust him. She was an obake. A kitsune, specifically. She didn't know what Eren was, but she just knew he wasn't completely human. He couldn't be. Not with that mischievous glint in his green eyes, or the fact that he was magically in his room. And the little girl...or was that a boy? She settled on the fact that the child was a girl. This girl looked kind, and maybe even shy. She could tell that she was smart by her choice of tongue. She was cute, and her short blonde hair fit her perfectly. Just like her friend, the girl's eyes were probably her best feature. They made her look so sweet and innocent. Yes, perhaps this girl would benefit her as an ally.

"Yes," said Mikasa, "Perhaps we could be allies."

"Allies?" asked Eren. He was hopeless, "What's an ally, again? Isn't it like a friend? Someone who supports you in battle or something?"

"A synonym of 'friend' is 'ally,'" said Armin. Mikasa nodded.

Eren made a sound like a siren on an ambulance, "Alert! Alert! Something is here and we need to evacuate! Nerd alert! Nerd alert!"

Armin shook his head, laughing. He was forever teased of being so smart. Eren wouldn't let him forget this. Eren wasn't mean about or anything, just that he noticed it as a respectful feature. But, Eren was childish, and he was a boy, so of course, his respect was shown in a different way.

"What's your given name?" asked Mikasa.

"Armin," he said, still smiling.

"Do you have any siblings?" Armin shook his head.

"Do you?" Mikasa shook her head. They didn't need to ask Eren. They both already knew that he didn't.

"Would you care to go shopping with me once supper is over and the adults have conversed? Maybe we could buy a few dresses and bows. Maybe even ankle boots or ballet slippers," suggested Mikasa. Armin blinked, a confused look on his face. Eren starting laughing at them, and Mikasa's face became red.

"Mikasa, Armin is a boy!" Eren laughed.

"Oh," said Mikasa, her face turning redder. Eren just laughed, and a light rosy hue rose to Armin's cheeks as well.

Armin shook his head, "It's fine. A common mistake among people. But you don't have to apologize." Mikasa just nodded.

"So anyway, what do you guys want to do now?" asked Eren.

"We could go to the park," suggested Armin. He remembered Mikasa, "If it's okay with your mom and dad, that is."

Mikasa shook her head, "They would never let me. They say that I could get stolen or raped."

Armin laughed, "That has never happened before. Even if it has, nobody really comes to that park, anyway. The chances of being kidnapped at this park is roughly 12%, highly unlikely. And anyway, Eren's aunt owns that park. Unless she knows us, we have to pay. But you'll be okay. We'll tell her your a friend of Eren."

"So how do we get them to let Mikasa go with us?"

"Here's the plan..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page break, chu! ○•.•○ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"...I agree. These kids are so cute. Didn't you say you had a son, Kalura?"

"Yes. He is delightful. Though sometimes, he may be a bit...stubborn."

"Mikasa is also a little obstinate. She insists on having her own way, but she acts like a little boy sometimes, you know?"

"Right."

"And when you turn your back for just a moment, they're-"

"Mommy...!"

Kalura turned to her son, looking into his large, green eyes. They were practically enchanting. He was so cute! "What is it, baby?"

"Mommy, can me and Armin and Mikasa go to the park?"

Kalura looked at Mikasa's parents, "I don't know, baby. Ask Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman." Eren looked at them with a small frown. He produced one of his best puppy eyes, and Mikasa's parents frowned.

"Oh, baby, of course she can go with you two. You're so adorable...come here, I want to give you a hug," said Mrs. Ackerman, looking as if she was on the verge of tears. Eren went to Mrs. Ackerman and hugged her, burying his head into her stomach. She smiled and kissed Eren atop the head. "Go one, sweetie." Eren smiled and walked out of the dining room. Armin had his hand up, and Eren gave him a high five. Mikasa offered a small smile, but Eren didn't see it.

"Get your coats, guys," said Eren. They walked down the steps to the main entrance, a large space where the ceiling rose high, twenty feet, and a large staircase which made the house appear like a castle or large mansion. The three ran to the pegs on the wall, eager to run around and let out their energy.

Armin slipped on his thin, grey hoodie, Eren put on his Aéropostale jacket, and Mikasa buttoned her white pea coat. Then they put on their shoes and mittens. Armin put on a red beanie, but Eren hated hats, so he just put on a red scarf to wrap around his neck and pulled his hood over his head. Eren prayed he wouldn't turn into a cat. For the most part, Eren had control over his abilities, but when he got too cold, wet, or angry, he morphed.

The children were hit by a horribly cold breeze. The sky was overcast with dark clouds. Armin assumed it would snow, but Eren argued that it would rain. Mikasa was in between them, shaking her head at these foolish boys.

When they arrived at the park, Eren's nose was red and the tip was blue. Armin's face was pink, and Mikasa looked unaffected. Eren sniffled, "Hey...Is anyone else freezing right now?" The other two shook their heads, "I-I think we should go back. I feel kind of sick."

"We just got here," asked Mikasa, "Are you sure you want to go?"

"I g-guess w-we co-ould s-stay here," sniffled Eren, his teeth chattering, "for a little while more."

Mikasa nodded and went over to the swing set. Armin turned to Eren, "That was really ignorant of her."

"It was? What does ignorant mean, again?" Armin just shook his head, thinking, _he's hopeless._

"Aren't you two coming?" asked Mikasa.

They both nodded and went over to Mikasa. Eren felt a tickle under his nose, and sneezed.

_POOF! ○•.•○_

Eren morphed into a cat. _NO! _he thought, _Armin mustn't see me! Not in this state! _Eren darted behind a dumpster and stayed there, scared for his life. If Eren was the case of Armin's discovering of the magic world...his _soul _would probably be cursed, not him, but his _soul. _So Eren avoided the two children, hiding behind the dumpster.

"Eren?" called Armin, "Eren..."

"Eren!" shouted Mikasa.

The two shouted, searching for their neko friend. Mikasa smirked. _So he _is _a shape shifter. But what is he? Just look for something with big, dumb green eyes._

Armin gasped. Eren's jacket, sneakers, and the rest of his clothes were in a pile on the ground. The red scarf was on the very top, "Oh, no...Eren, where are you? Eren?" Armin buried his face in his hands, allowing himself to weep. Mikasa bent down next to him and gave him a hug, to which Armin stiffened up, but didn't push her away. Armin wiped his tears and snot and looked at Mikasa, "Where did he go, Mikasa?"

"He's a-I don't know," lied Mikasa, "I can take you home. Back to Eren's parents."

"Wha? No, I want to look for Eren. I can't leave without him. He's been my best friend since the diapers, you know?" cried Armin. Mikasa frowned. She wanted to say, _No, I don't know. I've never had a friend before, _but that would provoke the blond's feelings. Mikasa wasn't _that _cruel.

"It's fine, Armin. Really. I can find him. I know I can," answered Mikasa truthfully, "I'll take you home."

After a little more struggles and arguments, Mikasa got Armin to agree. So, she walked Armin back to the house and told Eren's parents that they were playing 'hide and seek' and lost Eren. Kalura and Grisha offered to come and help, but Mikasa convinced them that she was very capable of finding him on her own, thank you very much. Mikasa was scolded by her parents, but it was worth it. Thus, Mikasa began her mission. She said bye and went back to the park to search for the brunet.

Eren came out from behind the dumpster. He was confused. _Why can't I turn back? _he thought, _Maybe I'm just doing something wrong. _Eren heard footsteps. _No! _He darted away, his tail flicking violently behind him. No one could know, no one could know, no one...

"Eren? Eren, come back!" Mikasa started chasing after Eren. The small feline tried his best to escape her, but she was the wind and she scooped him up in no time. Mikasa nuzzled her face in Eren's fur. It was so soft...so unnaturally soft...Mikasa blinked.

"Eren, you're a shape-shifter, too?" Eren glared at Mikasa. How could she know? Oh, if Master found out that a human knew what Eren actually was, he would be pissed. Eren lashed out at Mikasa, creating a neat gash on Mikasa's cheek. Mikasa jumped, and...

_POOF! ^.~_

The raven-haired girl was now an orange fox with grey, intimidating eyes. Eren blinked at this. Then his whiskers twitched, and he purred, the corners of his lips curling up. The kitsune assumed that this was his way of laughing. She just glared back at him, shaking her head. But Eren continued to laugh, until a huge pink cloud erupted around him.

_Poof! •.• _

Eren morphed back into a human. Well, not completely. He still sported his cat ears, thin pupils, and kitten tail. Speaking of clothes...

"AH!" Eren screamed. His face was nothing but red as he scrambled to find his clothes. The kitsune was interested, though. But you could tell she was blushing, too, because her face was red instead of orange. His clothes were cold and filled with snow, but he didn't care. The situation was _so _embarrassing...

After Eren was fully dressed, though freezing, he huffed over to Mikasa. Her clothes were on the ground in front of her, damp and snowy. Eren sighed and sat down with his legs crossed. He pulled the kitsune into his lap and started to stroke her fur. She stiffened at his touch, growling even, but eventually she had melted into his embrace and cooed happily. She softened, suddenly purring as if she were a cat. Eren smiled. He wondered how to turn her back.

"Mikasa," spoke Eren softly, "Mikasa." The kitsune shook out of her sleepiness and gazed up at Eren with loving eyes. She wanted to be loyal. She wanted to comfort him, "How is your fox form triggered?"

Mikasa frowned. She didn't want to turn back. Not yet, anyway. She enjoyed Eren's presence much more than anyone else's. But she was cold...not too cold, but cold enough to want a warm cup of hot chocolate and a fuzzy blanket. Mikasa purred once more before jumping out of Eren's arms. She used her paw and messily wrote, 'surprise.' She looked back at Eren. Eren nodded and went over to Mikasa. He picked her up and frowned.

"This may hurt, but we've got to get back. I'm practically freezing." and he struck Mikasa across the face.

_Poof! *○•.•○*_

Mikasa transformed in Eren's arms. With his reflexes, his first instinct was to drop her, so...he did. But it was on accident. Mikasa didn't waste a second. She threw on all of her clothes rather quickly, but Eren had already started to walk away, trembling as he did so. Mikasa cracked a smile. Was he trembling because he was embarrassed, or was he trembling because he was cold? Mikasa figured the latter, so she ran to catch up with him.

"Eren," said Mikasa, "Are you cold?" He looked at her, with his big, innocent eyes, and she knew she was right. But he wouldn't admit it. He shook his head and smiled. Mikasa noticed his lips were white.

"No, I'm fine. You, on the other hand, don't have anything covering your legs. All you have is a pea coat, boots, and mittens. Take this."

Mikasa shook her head. _He _was freezing. Not her. She wasn't even cold. Still, she welcomed the warmness that came to her neck. Eren wrapped the scarf around her delicately. Mikasa stared at it, opened-mouthed. This boy...he was different. Personally, she hated men. She thought they were all dogs. She saw the way her father looked at her mother when she came back from a photo shoot. She saw when he licked his lips as she walked by. But he wouldn't touch her. Mikasa prevented him from doing so. He looked her like she was a queen. She hated it. And that was why she liked Eren. He had a loving, caring heart. He was different. Not in a bad way. He was different, like...unique. And she was thankful for his being in her life.

Especially when they got in the crash.


	2. Black

_Author's Note: Second chapter up! Yay! To Cyborg, who is a guest, I think: They're green and Kalura is Carla and Carla is Eren's mom. Yeah. And to everyone else, I'm really sorry for such the long wait. I've just had troubles at school, you know; fights, dates and stuff. Plus I've been really sick, and I don't want to get anyone else sick so I have to keep my hands off of electronics that other people may use. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan or any of its characters. _

_Summary: Flash forward to high school and we get to see more of our buddies._

_- MiMi_

* * *

_ Wait, what? What do you mean, y squared plus xy minus 27x plus two? What? What the hell is this? _

"Okay, students, please turn in your tests! I hope this pop quiz was relatively easy for you. These scores will be entered with your math test on Friday...!"

The bell rang and cut off the teacher's last words. The lean teenager groaned and slid out of his seat and walked in a sort of a hunch all the way from his seat to his locker to the cafeteria. He gathered his food on a tray and reached into his pocket for money, but discovered he had none. He mumbled an apology to the lunch lady, grabbing his tray and dumping it into the trash. Damn him, always forgetting to get lunch money. His family could provide lunch money for at least every single kid in the high school, so of course Eren got lunch everyday, whether from school or from home. He just forgot about eating sometimes. It was the least of his concerns. He had much more to worry about; he was beginning a modeling career. The brunet sighed and searched for his two best friends, Mikasa and Armin, sitting down next to them when they were located.

"Hey," said Armin in his cheery, bubbly voice, "How has your day been?"

Eren grunted, "Ugh, I hate school. I mean, seriously, all it's meant for is communication. Everyone could totally live as a hermit and be home-schooled."

"Yeah, but communication is good. It's not only good for you and your mind, but it makes you feel better, you know?"

"Not really. I'm not much of a people-person, if you know what I mean," shrugged Eren.

The trio ate the rest of their lunch in silence; well, as least two people ate. Eren just stared off into space, wondering how much sugar was in the cafeteria food. Seriously, what kind of crap is it? Usually, he, Mikasa, and Armin brought their own lunches, and Eren was glad because of that. Five days of cafeteria milk equals a small wagon full of sugar. If you look at those statistics, you would be able to infer the amount of sugar you consume in a year if you always get school lunch. Disgusting.

The bell rang again and it was time for passing period. Eren didn't bother to wait for his two friends to pack up. He just left quickly. He wanted the day to be over already. He was exhausted.

* * *

"Mikasa!"

The raven-haired girl turned around to see Eren. He motioned for her to come over. She grabbed Armin's arm and ran over to him.

"What's up?" she asked.

Eren shrugged, "Nothing, I just...I need help studying. Think you can call later and give me your notes for math?"

"I'm sure Armin would be your best bet," answered Mikasa honestly. Armin looked down and nodded. Eren shrugged.

"Okay. Well, just...hit me up if you need anything, alright?" both friends nodded and Eren did, too. He walked away.

* * *

Saturday. Finally. The first of two days Eren was away from the prison called 'school'. He yawned and stretched, his morning breath worse than usual. He had to go to a photoshoot today. Oh...just when he thought he could relax for a day. But, oh well. Might as well get ready now.

Eren bathed, brushed his teeth, did his hair and makeup and got dressed. As he went downstairs, he bumped into his maid, Maki. He said sorry and got his bag. It had water, extra clothes (though he probably wouldn't need them), his phone, his wallet and a container with a choco cornet in case he wanted something sweet. Then he slipped on his sneakers and opened the door.

"Ah, Eren!" called Maki. Eren turned, "You forgot your breakfast."

Eren shook his head, "I'm not hungry. Plus, I don't need it. Treat yourself, Maki-chan. You deserve it," Eren said with a smile. Maki nodded and let Eren be.

When he arrived at the photoshoot, everyone was yelling and running around. Even his manager was looking nervous. Eren sighed. Another day in the business of fame. He hated it, but how else was he to pay Annie? It's not that his family was poor, oh heavens no. His family was extremely well off. His mother was a millionaire, taking to fame with him and becoming a singer. Eren wouldn't have predicted it, but the new Carla said it was because her husband was "a horrible mess who can't care for himself" and "you're so beautiful I have to leave you alone sometimes because I want to kiss you", in which the latter was definitely a lie. He knew Carla wanted another child so she could be interviewed more, though she already had two children (Eren, and they adopted Mikasa after her parents died in a car crash). Plus, she knew Mikasa wanted another girl in the house.

Annie, who was the daughter of Carla's old friend, was a witch. She rarely used her magic, and when she did it was for a good cause. Anyway, she babysat Mikasa's cousin, Yuri, and Eren's aunt and uncle from Grisha's side of the family weren't exactly wealthy. Eren decided to take the matter into his own hands, and used a bit of his daily allowance (¥10,153) to pay Annie. The rest of his daily allowance consisted of dinner for his family (in which he and Maki went to the store). Then his daily allowance was gone, because their food was very expensive. With the money from work, he would buy a movie or clothes or a manga, whatever he wanted. Of course, he would also buy something for Mikasa. She was always on his back, protecting him from _everything. _She was so fucking annoying, he swore. But he couldn't blame her for being so protective. After all, he saved Mikasa from the car crash back in 2008. The year they first met. He remembered how she was half-alive, and her parents were beyond recognition with their faces bashed in, bruises, cuts, and blood everywhere. It made him cringe just to think about it. And also a little sad.

"Eren!" The brunet whipped around and became face to face with his manager. His face turned red and he got down on one knee. He bowed his head and said 'sorry', fear creeping into his eyes. His manager hit him once. Of course he wasn't beaten, but the slap left him with a reddened cheek two days. He was just complaining. Well, it certainly wasn't _his _fault the food was a bit too dry. Even so, the intimating look in his manager's eyes and towering height of 188 centimetres silenced Eren from that point on. Other than that, his manager was pretty soft and looked pretty soft, and Eren might have even called him handsome. But his eyebrows totally threw everything off.

Eren got up and looked at his manager's shoes as he muttered, "I was just thinking."

His manager leaned down and put his ear next to Eren's mouth, "What was that? I couldn't hear you over the noise."

"I said I was just thinking. Just memories," said Eren. Erwin nodded.

"Come on, son. Today's theme is 'ping-pong'. You know what that means, right?" Eren just nodded, his face turning slightly red. Long socks. Shorts that tugged at his groin and ass. Tight shirts. Oxfords. Ugh...he hated anything and everything about shoes. I mean, seriously. Just slip on a pair of sneakers or converse and you're fine, right? At least that's what Eren wanted.

* * *

"Maki, I'm home!"

Mikasa had just come home from babysitting. She babysat a different family than Annie. A very wealthy family on the other side of town, but definitely not richer than Eren's. It was far, far away, but Mikasa enjoyed the drive, and though the kids sometimes got on her nerves, she loved them. They were like brothers and sisters. Brothers. Where was Eren? Mikasa looked at a clock. It read 19:45. Wow, already? Eren should have been home already. Hmm. Maybe he got stuck in traffic. The traffic made Mikasa's drive twenty minutes longer than usual. But still, he always gets home at 18:30, so he had no reason to still be out and about. Mikasa sighed. He could have gotten lucky with a girl...no. Mikasa shook the thought off. It hurt her too much to think about Eren and his love life. She wanted him. She still could. Kalura and Grisha hadn't officially adopted her, so she could still date him, marry him and have kids. _No. Quit it._ Mikasa promised herself that she wouldn't think of Eren like that. But...he was so good-looking...

"Good evening, Mikasa. It's so good to see you. I just cleaned the house, so you don't have anything to worry about. How was your day?"

Mikasa blinked. She hadn't noticed Maki-chan. She was mesmerized by...

"Thank you, Maki-chan. My day wasn't very good. Especially with the kids. They literally destroyed a fifth of the house. Miyuki was trying to light a candle so her room could look "mystical" and ended up dropping the match and burning half of her room. I had to call their aunt and have the room remodeled. Whilst that went on, Kai was playing soccer with Aoyama and hit the aquarium. They were running away from the swordfish when their dogs came in and tore the rest of the living room up. I swear, it took for_ever_ to get the house looking okay. In short, I got fired. Now I have to find some other kids to watch over."

Maki frowned, "Oh, I apologize, Mikasa-san."

"No need, Maki. I'm sorry I kept you alone for so long."

Maki chuckled, "Don't worry about me, dear. Just doing my job. I don't mind the loneliness."

Mikasa frowned, "Don't you have to go home today?"

Maki looked at the clock. It read 19:53, "Oh! I was supposed to be gone at 19:00! I'll come back Monday, so don't miss me too much, okay?"

Mikasa laughed, "I don't think I ever won't miss you. You're like the sister I never had."

Maki smiled as she gathered her things and slipped on her jacket, "Thank you, Mikasa. You're like my sister I never had, too."

They both chuckled and wished each other a goodnight and said goodbye. Mikasa waved at her maid, who waved back at her. Mikasa had to wonder. Did she possess magic, too? Mikasa had found out that Eren possessed magic. Maki seemed like a pixie. Maybe a fairy. She was so kind and gentle. She had to be the latter. If she was of a supernatural race, that is.

Finally alone. Mikasa was exhausted. She flopped down on the white couch, welcoming its softness. The golden outline of the couch made the couch look like it rather belonged in heaven than on Earth. Seriously. It looked perfect for the angels to lounge on.

* * *

Eren had, despite the crazy horn dog, managed to escape the evil party. There were potheads and drunken lesbos everywhere. The party was just supposed to be brief and meant to celebrate the great work of everyone in the business. No one had intended to get even the slightest bit tipsy, but this guy with a buzz cut came in all of sudden and had hash brownies, pot, weed, wine, vine, beer and just about every other alcoholic drink with him. Nobody knew the guy, but they thanked him anyway. Everything went out of control when everyone had two hash brownies and a glass of wine each.

That crazy horn dog was no other than Sasha Braus, who had eaten the most of the brownies. You see, she has this crazy obsession with food, and as long as it looks at least a little bit like food, it goes down her throat like that. Anyway, after she was high and stoned and all of the above, she trapped Eren in a bedroom and raped him. No nothing was exchanged. Not even a kiss. She just stripped him of his clothes and kissed him in every single place that wasn't his lips. Then she touched him, and as he tried so hard to get away, she kept on going. She wouldn't let him leave. At some point, she started to take off her shirt, and then Eren picked up all of his clothes and ran out of the building, screaming all the while. He was unintentionally streaking, trying to lose this horn dog. Finally, he hopped into his car, naked, with his clothes in his arm, and sped off. He almost ran her over, but at the last second she moved, and Eren was gone.

And now he was at his mansion.

Eren quickly dressed himself, wanting to go to sleep and forget today. He muttered a 'hello' and 'goodnight' to Mikasa before he laid down. Just as he thought, as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light.

* * *

_"Eren...Eren..." an unfamiliar voice whispered. It was pitch black everywhere, except for the occasional light here and there; a soul. Eren whipped his head around._

_"Who's there?" he asked the voice. No response. He began to run, the sound of his feet on something hard covering for footsteps. _Where the hell am I? _thought Eren, _And why is it so dark? _He continued to run, not really towards anything. Then he stopped. Souls? Pitch black? Was he in...purgatory? But...how? What did he do wrong? The souls let out a cry every once in a while. For help, or forgiveness. The floating balls of light turned into dimly-lit people. Most of these faces were unfamiliar...until he went further. __Eren gasped. What...what was this? There was no way they could be here...no way..._

_He saw most everyone he knew. Mikasa, crumpled on the ground and lifeless. Next to her, Jean Kirschtein. Then Sasha, Annie, Connie, and Petra. Eld, Auruo, Mike, Gunther. Marco, Reiner, Bertholdt. Ymir, Historia, and...who was that? Eren knitted his eyebrows, eyeing the boy curiously. He didn't know who he was. He had short, black hair, parted so his long, black fringe rested on either sides of his face. He had an undercut, and soft features. He had small eyes, but Eren didn't know what the colour was, obviously, because his eyes were closed. He had sharp features, but he looked so peaceful. He was very, very small. Smaller than him, even. But Eren was pretty tall, so if he thought he was small, he was probably not _too _small. He had such a nice figure, but he was also pretty skinny. The boy's lips were slightly parted, as if he were going to say something. And he did._

_"Eren..." he whispered. Eren gasped. He had been the one calling him. Eren walked closer. He squinted his eyes, because the boy was slowly dimming, "Eren..."_

_Eren knitted his eyebrows again, "Who...who are you?"_

_Suddenly, the boy's eyes shot open, "You will find out soon enough, Jaëger."_

_"Wait, what?" the neko was confused. What did he mean, 'soon enough'? He wasn't even sure this boy was real, "No, wait!"_

_Eren was drifting away from everyone. He tried running towards them, but he kept being guided backwards. "No! Please, no!"_

And he woke.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page break! ^^ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oi, Mikasa! Armin!" Eren called. Everyone's attention, including his friends', were on something else other than him. But what...?

Eren's heart skipped a beat. There he was. It was the strange boy he had seen in his dream of being in purgatory. Or perhaps he was...? Whatever it was, Eren had seen the boy. And now, here he was. Eren's sea-green eyes opened wide and he ran over to the boy. The boy was currently wiping his desk off, paying no attention to anyone or anything other than his rag and his desk. Eren gulped.

"Um...hey," said Eren. The boy stopped, but didn't look up.

"Do you wish to speak to me?" asked the boy. Eren eyed him cautiously. Why did he speak so weird?

"Yeah, I guess so," said Eren. The boy looked up at Eren. Eren gasped, and so did everyone else in the classroom. The boy's eyes...they were silver. Beautiful. Hypnotizing, even. Seducing..._no. _Eren was not going to think about him like this. Especially not a boy he didn't even know.

"I...um...never mind," said Eren, a rosy hue taking over his tanned cheeks. The boy narrowed his eyes at Eren. He studied his face in silence. Eren saw that this guy's facial expression never changed from a dull, maybe bored look. And his eyes didn't tell him anything either.

"Do I know you?" asked the boy. Eren shrugged. Then he shook his head. The boy's lips curled up for a second and his throat emitted a small chuckle as he muttered, "A strange one you are, indeed." The boy turned back to his desk and began to clean again. Eren face probably would have been mistaken for a tomato with green circles on it. His face burned like he was in all of the hottest places on Earth all at once. Eren scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and went back to his seat next to Mikasa and Armin. Armin stared at him wide-eyed and Mikasa looked like she was about ready to shank someone.

Suddenly, their teacher walked in. The man cleared his throat before straightening his tie and taking a piece of chalk. On the board, he wrote 'combustion'. He turned back to his students.

"Our word of the day is combustion. Does anyone know what that means?" Armin looked around and rose his hand slowly. His teacher almost never chose Armin because he knew that Armin already knew everything, but he went to him for the last resort. He was about to choose Armin when the raven-haired boy's hand shot up.

"Oh? Would you care to answer, Ri-?"

"Combustion is a chemical reaction in which a compound and an oxidizing agent that produces energy, usually in the form of heat and light. Another definition is the burning of fuel in an engine to provide power, and even a state of extreme discontent and agitation."

Everyone blinked. Even Armin was stunned, and he was probably the smartest person in Sapporo! Or was this raven-haired, sexy clean-freak smarter?

"Um, c-correct. Well, I suppose you can come up here and introduce yourself, seeing as you haven't yet and it's almost the middle of the-"

"My name is Levi," said Levi in a monotone voice. He walked up to the front of the classroom, eyeing everyone almost accusingly, "My surname doesn't matter, and personally I don't give a damn about whether you like me or not."

Levi continued, "I am intolerant of incoherent brats who look down on others"-Eren _swore _he was looking at him when he said that- "and my reputation doesn't matter at all. Honestly, I couldn't care less about each and every one of you delinquents."

After Levi finished his highly offensive speech, Levi didn't bother to look to Mr. Ichikawa for confirmation and just plopped down in his seat. Everyone was stunned at his mysterious air, and his rudeness towards strangers. _Or maybe he's rude toward everyone, _thought Eren. Whatever the case, Eren felt slightly disappointed that Levi hadn't shown any sign of interest in him at all. He hung his head for the rest of class, not bothering to listen to Mr. Ichikawa's lesson on the history of Hokkaido. He just wanted to melt away and hide the shame he felt for-

"Hey, dumbass, did you not hear me the first of ten times I told you to get your lazy ass up?"

Eren blinked rapidly, "What?"

Levi rolled his eyes, "The bell just rang, and now you're going to make me late for class all because of your infatuation with looking at my crotch."

"Wait, what?" Eren felt heat creeping up his neck and onto his cheeks.

"Don't act like you don't know what the fuck I'm talking about, brat. You were in some annoying haze forever, now just get the hell out of this classroom."

And with that, Levi was gone.

* * *

_Several weeks later_

"Hey, Eren, are you okay?" asked his blond friend as he snapped his fingers in front of his face, "Eren, Eren, Eren, Eren..."

"Wha?" replied Eren. He had a sleepy, yet hazy look in his eye. He caught himself staring at Levi again. He shook his head and looked at his blond friend, who looked genuinely concerned.

"You were staring at that guy from first period...Levi? Yeah, you were just staring at him as if there wasn't anything else in the world."

Eren felt himself blushing, "I...um...it's nothing, okay? Hey, where's Mikasa?"

"She went to the office to pick up her lunch, remember? She should be back by-"

"Eren, explain," ordered Mikasa as she slammed her bento box on the table and glared at the brunet. His eyes rose in alarm and he looked terrified.

"What? What do you-"

"You know damn right what I mean, now tell me the truth."

"About what?"

"About your fangirl obsession over shorty!"

"What? Levi? I'm not...I don't have an obsession over him!" cried Eren, blushing profusely. Armin looked concerned, as he always did, and Mikasa was still snarling like a beast.

"Yeah, I believe you. Now go tell that to _Levi__." _Mikasa put extra emphasis on 'Levi' as if it left a bad taste in her mouth.

"What?"

"You heard me. Go tell him and see what he does. And then, regardless of his answer, sit down next to him in every class you have together, including lunch, for the whole day."

"But-"

"Go."

"Mikasa, you're being completely un-"

"_Go."_

Eren gulped and stood up. He shyly made his way over to the table where Levi sat at. He gulped again and looked up, only to see amber-brown eyes looking back at him.

"Petra?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want to talk to him?"

"I...I um...nevermind."

"What the fuck, is that your fucking catchphrase or something?"

Eren looked at Levi, and then at his untouched tray of food. He looked back at Levi and noticed just how skinny he was. _Just like in my dream._

"Um...yes. I mean, no...I mean...um..." Eren's face was burning red and he wanted to sink into the earth.

"I'll leave you two alone," said Petra, "It was nice speaking with you, Levi."

Levi barely acknowledged her, and instead narrowed his eyes at the boy in front of him, "What do you want, brat?"

"I just...um..." Eren looked back at his usual table, where, just as he thought, Armin and Mikasa stared straight back at the scene. Mikasa looked like she was about to blow her top, and Armin looked concerned, as usual, "I just wanted to confirm that I...I don't have a...um...I don't have a...f-f-f-f-fangirl obsession over...you. Um...and they told me that regardless of your answer I should sit here." If it was possible, Levi narrowed his eyes even more at the stuttering, sweaty mess called Eren Jaëger, "So I'll just...um...sit here."

"Fuck this shit," growled Levi. He grabbed Eren by the arm and stormed over to Mikasa and Armin, practically throwing him at the two.

"You," he said, pointing at Mikasa with a long finger, "Keep your shitty, sweaty-ass mess away from me."

Mikasa narrowed her eyes. After a minute of glaring at each other, Mikasa suddenly pounced on Levi. She jumped out of her seat and straddled him, throwing punches wherever she could hit. Levi threw his arms up in self-defense, not even trying to hit her back. He just lay there with a girl beating the shit out of him as she shouted a round of insults at him.

"Hey!" said a teacher, trying to pry the girl off of Levi. But she wouldn't stop.

"HEY!"

Mikasa looked up and saw Principal Pyxis behind her. She turned to throw one last punch when Levi put his arms down, but Eren pulled her away and held her back. Mikasa attempted to hit Eren and break his nose with her head, but he saw it coming and kept his head back. Principal Pyxis rushed to Levi's side and tried to help him up, but Levi pushed his hand away and got up on his own. He brushed himself off, muttering something along the lines of 'what a filthy environment' and 'should have stayed'. Levi glared at Mikasa. His visible bruises were mostly red or pink, but a few were dark purple. Levi turned on his heel and walked away as if nothing had ever happened. An eerie silence had fallen over the school; even in the classrooms that didn't hear anything. It was almost as if someone had frozen time...

Huh?

Mikasa, Sasha, Connie, Eren, Petra, Gunther, Eld, Auruo, Mike, Marco, Jean, Ymir, Historia, Reiner, and Bertholdt were the only ones unfrozen. Everyone else was frozen. Eren blinked.

_What the hell just happened?_

* * *

_Konbawa! _

_I'm really sorry about the long time to update. I've been real sick and exhausted lately. =(. That makes me sad. But it's okay. I was finally permitted to use my computer today, so I just finished up and woot woot, here's your new chapter! I'm sorry if anything was confusing anywhere or anything. Anyway, had a good day! Love you!_

_MiMi_


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